Widespread condemnation greeted the proposed inauguration of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), following its postponement on the directives of the Minster of Transportation; Mr Rotimi Amaechi yesterday.
As published by Shipping Position Daily on Monday, the event was scheduled to hold yesterday morning, but was shifted to the afternoon, only for it to be postponed till today(Wednesday),after the inductees had been directed to arrive at Abuja for the ceremony on Monday.
As a result of the development, elected freight forwarders into the Council are currently stranded in Abuja waiting on the Transport Minister, unsure whether the inauguration will hold or not.
Our correspondent who was on ground in Abuja, reports that, the board inauguration which was earlier billed to take place on Tuesday at 11am was abruptly postponed to 4pm in the evening, following the unexplained absence of the transport minister who was said to be in Lagos.
However, the already agitated freight forwarders who arrived at Abuja two days ago were later shocked when the Registrar of the Council, Sir Mike Jukwe later announced at about 2pm that the inauguration has been shifted till Wednesday (today) by 4pm.
Some of the freight forwarders who spoke with our correspondent lamented that after sending two days waiting for Amaechi for the inauguration, their businesses were suffering in Lagos.
Recall that Amaechi had earlier abandoned the inauguration for four months after elections were conducted in July and 15 Council members who were members of five freight forwarding associations emerged.
Speaking on the continuous postponement of the inauguration, some members of the new board who pleaded anonymity expressed fears that the new governing Council was already programmed to fail.
One of them said; "It is a pity that Amaechi had abandoned his core job to be going after politics, while other ministers were busy looking for ways to grow their ministry, he is busy running after politics. Tell me, what is he doing in Lagos? And he gathered all of us here"
"We have been here since yesterday afternoon, now it is possible that he might postpone it again tomorrow after the FEC meeting"
"Amaechi is leaving his duty to play politics, how do you expect the sector to move forward? This is not politics, this is his core job"
Our correspondent spotted among dignitaries who are already gathered at the Barcelona Hotel in Abuja; President of ANLCA, Tony Nwabunike, Henry Njoku and the six council members nominated by President Muhammad Buhari, among others.
When he was approached by our correspondent over the serial postponement of the inauguration, Registrar of CRFFN, Sir Mike Jukwe simply said, "I am only following directives given to me".
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